Abstract
Certified nurse (CN) and certified nurse specialist (CNS) certifications have begun in late 1990s in Japan, and the number of educational institutions and certified nurses are rapidly increasing. Among them, intensive care CN and critical care CNS are relevant to critical care discipline, and 421 and 16 nurses are registered respectively as of August 2008. Five-year clinical experience is required prior to enter CN or CNS program. After finishing a half-year formal education for CN and a master's course for CNS, they need to pass examinations offered by Japanese Nursing Association. CNs identify problems to be resolved in order to improve standard of the care while working with staff nurses. CNSs obtain up-dated information and research findings, scrutinize them for their applicability, and tactically introduce them. Through publications and/or lectures of such practice, CNSs strive to increase level of care nationwide. Both CNs and CNSs are expected to contribute to advancement of quality of critical care nursing by collaborating as equal colleagues.
